GADSDEN, Ala. — A woman who “tortured” her granddaughter by forcing her to run until she dropped and later died should be convicted of capital murder in the girl’s death, an Alabama prosecutor told jurors Friday.
“The reason that child is dead is that she was forced to run for hours,” Assistant District Attorney Carol Griffith said.
But a defense attorney for 49-year-old Joyce Hardin Garrard portrayed his client as a devoted, helpful grandmother who was helping look after 9-year-old Savannah Hardin while the girl’s father was overseas as a contractor for the U.S. State Department.
Attorneys for both sides concluded their closing arguments Friday afternoon. Jurors began deliberating in the evening.
Prosecutors contend Garrard forced Savannah to run for hours as punishment for a lie, leading to her collapse and death in a hospital days later.